


Control

by Mynuet



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-30
Updated: 2012-09-30
Packaged: 2017-11-15 08:32:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/525310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mynuet/pseuds/Mynuet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle reacts to Rumplestiltskin bringing back magic.  He overreacts in return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Control

**Author's Note:**

> Since it's about to get Jossed in... 9 hours and 42 minutes as of the time of posting, I finished this up for posting.

"Why did you do that?" Her voice was shrill, and Belle knew that it was, but she couldn't stop it. "Rumplestiltskin, what did you do?"

Smiling like a dragon, he said, "Exactly what I intended to do. Things are about to get very interesting, you'll see."

"You… You don't love me," she said, her eyes bright with tears as she looked up at his face, eerie with the shadow of the magic cloud. Eerie, too, because of the unrelenting humanity of his features, showing no trace of the childlike creature she'd fallen in love with. 

"Belle!" He reached out for her, his hands on her shoulders, and she thought he had no right to look anguished, none at all. "You can't… I love you more than you can imagine - I would turn the world upside down for you. I thought I would die when I found out you'd been…"

Pulling away from him, she cried, "Stop it! You were right, you love your power more, that's all you love. It's all you've ever loved, isn't it? Just be honest, with yourself if you can't be honest with me!"

"Belle!" He moved to hold her again and she slapped him, the shock of it reverberating through her arm. He just looked at her, his cheek showing the outline of her fingers in livid red and white as he let his hand drop to his side.

"I could have loved you forever, if you'd just loved me." She broke off on a sob, turning to run before she realized she had nowhere to go. She was trapped, as surely as she'd been when he took her from her home in exchange for the lives and safety of her people. Now it was her own safety at risk, because she would rather die than go back to being trapped in a spacious stone coffin, the days broken only by the occasional glimpse of a predatory red smile.

Before she could decide if she dared to risk running, hiding, he seized her hand and she felt a sickening rush of the world moving around her, sped up and then slowed down until they were... still in the forest, but in a different place. She didn't recognize the trees, didn't see a path, and her stomach lurched as she stumbled and would have fallen if not for his grip on her arm.

"You'll see what I love," he snarled, twirling his hand in a scooping gesture that made the earth shudder and part. Faster than should have been possible, a knife flew through the air trailing dirt behind it like a comet's tail. He reached out and stopped it an inch away from his own heart, and she thought she might faint from the sudden thought that he might be mortal. "Hold out your hand, dearie, it'll only hurt a bit."

She looked at him in disbelief, completely at sea and feeling sick and confused. "What do you mean? What's--"

Holding the knife up, he showed her his name written across the blade and said, "A present, for my lady. Don't you think it's a fine one?"

"You're scaring me," she said, but she held her ground as he moved closer, until he had a hold of her hand.

"It's the only thing that can kill me, dearie." He pressed the hilt into her palm, forcing her fingers to close around it. "But if you don't want to become me, best to take the other option, don't you think? At least, everyone who's taken control before has been quick to say that the evil was in the weapon, and not the orders."

"What are you…" He lifted her hand and the knife until the point was pressing against his chest, just over his heart. "Let go of me!"

His hands flew off of hers and he jumped back as if he had been bitten. "Careful, dearie. If you'd told me to go away, I'd be halfway around the world with a command that powerful."

"What... What are you talking about?" She looked between his furious expression and the knife, gleaming dully even through the dirt still on it.

The sneer he gave was one she'd seen before, but never directed at her. "Do you order me to tell you the truth?"

"Rumplestiltskin, what--"

" _Order me!_ " His hair danced around his face from the intensity of his roar, but it was still too deep, too human, and she felt confused and bereft even as she jumped.

"Stop it!" The reaction was reflexive, but he stepped back and stood straight, his mouth firmly closed. "Tell me the truth. Tell me why you did this."

Grimacing, he said, "You'll have to be more specific. 'This' gives me wiggle room, and you never give the Dark One wiggle room."

"Why do you have to be the Dark One? Why do you need power so much that you did all this?"

His jaw was set, every muscle in his body expressing his reluctance, but he still spoke. "Because I'm terrified that I'll never see my son again. Because I need to protect him, and protect you, from everybody who would harm you. Because I need to protect myself from ever losing anyone again."

All of the fight and anger drained out of her, and she sighed. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"I don't see any other." Slowly, he reached for her, his hand fluttering as he hesitated. It was the first tangible sign that this was the same Rumplestiltskin that she loved, no matter how different his face and voice might be. "I love you, Belle. More than anything except Bae."

"I love you, too," she said, relaxing into his embrace. "But we have to be in this together. You can't... You can't just manipulate the whole world. You can't manipulate _me._ "

Nodding solemnly, he said, "As you command, my mistress."

Belle looked between him and the dagger and shook her head, stepping back to hold it out to him. "I don't want to control you. I just want to love you, and have you love me."

"I want that, too," he said, not making a move to take it. "I just don't know how."

"Come on," she said with a sigh, holding out her free hand. "Let's go home. We've got the rest of our lives to sort things out."

Lacing his fingers through hers, he said, "Aye, we do."


End file.
